Letter From Dr. Ellen Hall, Executive Director

SUMMER 2007 LETTER FROM DR. ELLEN HALL,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The first part of the year 2007 offered myriad opportunities for Boulder Journey School faculty to share the work of the school community and to deepen our thinking surrounding this work.

In January, we invited nationally renowned artist and inventor, Bruce McIntosh to spend a week at the school working with children, families, and educators in order to extend our understanding of the affordances of found and recycled materials for the construction, representation and expression of ideas. Bruce encouraged us to imagine the endless possibilities that each material offers as well as the many ways in which materials can be offered to children as provocations to be investigated and explored.

Also in January, co-directors, Alison Maher and Andrea Sisbarro, technology manager, Sam Hall, intern teacher, Lindsey Meltz and executive director, Ellen Hall traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to participate in the institute, Questions that Matter: Inquiry Processes in Children’s and Teachers’ Learning, organized and hosted by the St. Louis Reggio Collaborative. As part of the institute, Alison and Ellen presented the evolution of our thinking about materials inspired by long-time friends and mentors, David and Frances Hawkins. Immediately following the institute, Alison, Sam and Ellen participated in the fourth gathering of Hawkins Centers of Learning, dedicated to the work and lives of these two remarkable educators. There was a seamless connection between the work of the institute and that of the gathering as the intention for Hawkins Centers of Learning is “to seed and support thinking and action towards change through collaborative inquiry and exchange”.

During February co-directors, Alison Maher and Andrea Sisbarro, returned to Beaufort and Hilton Head, South Carolina to continue their work with educators as part of the Boulder Journey School Extended Study Tour Program, while executive director, Ellen Hall traveled to Community Nursery School in Lexington, Massachusetts to facilitate a Videatives workshop with Dr. George Forman.

Also in February, technology manager, Sam Hall and business manager, Christi Ogrodnick attended the National Business Officers Association (NBOA) conference held in Denver. Participation in the NBOA network links us with schools throughout the country and thus provides a valuable resource.

In March, co-director, Alison Maher, attended the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) conference in Denver, People, Planet, Purpose: Leading the Way to a Sustainable Future. Nationally reputed Boulder resident Jim Collins, author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap as keynote presenter, discussed implications for his work in the social sector.

Also in March, intern teachers, Lauren Smith and Allison Moore and executive director, Ellen Hall traveled to Reggio Emilia, Italy to visit the municipal infant-toddler centers and preschools and to hear presentations by educators who have inspired the work at Boulder Journey School since 1995.

As part of our study and communication of the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education, fueled by our ongoing desire to support local contexts, we hosted our 4th workshop on the fundamental ideas inherent in the Reggio philosophy on March 3rd in collaboration with the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance (NAREA). Thirty-five educators from around the state attended this workshop.

The month of March also brought visits to the school by colleagues and friends, Amelia Gambetti and George Forman. During her week at Boulder Journey School, Amelia observed and met with teachers and directors to discuss the evolution of children and adults’ research, the visibility of this research in classrooms and possibilities for extending the research throughout the school. During his 2-day visit, George facilitated a seminar with intern teachers and a faculty meeting with mentor teachers, during which we observed and interpreted children’s investigations captured through video in order to better understand and support children’s thinking and learning.

April took executive director, Ellen Hall to Washington, DC for a Videatives Workshop at the World Bank Children’s Center and to Toronto, Canada for Videatives Workshops hosted by Seneca College and the Acorn Collaborative. At Boulder Journey School, we welcomed colleagues Kristen Common from Beaufort, SC and Sandra Phillips from Los Angeles, CA, who engaged intern teachers in a dialogue surrounding the challenges and rewards of their work in unique but also similar contexts.

In May, executive director, Ellen Hall flew to Kuala Lumpur to share our work surrounding the rights of children with 750 educators from 70 countries attending the World Forum on Early Care and Education. Among the participants at this forum was a delegation of educators from NIPPA, the early years organization in Northern Ireland who have invited co-directors, Alison Maher and Andrea Sisbarro to present the evolution of our thinking surrounding the environment and long-term investigations as part of their annual conference in Ireland this June.

So …June will find Alison, Andrea and Ellen traveling to Ireland - then back to Boulder to host our 10th annual summer conference in dialogue with the schools for young children in Reggio Emilia, preceded by a Videatives Workshop and followed by the fifth gathering of Hawkins Centers of Learning.